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As far as the kingdom part of it goes, that is a big part. I do see haughtiness as an issue- a lot of leaders take themselves too seriously. Not that leaders should be casual in what they do, but they don't walk on water, either.

There are also leadership factors that have to be dealt with. There are a lot of worship leaders who don't have leadership skills. It's not an issue of pride or heart, it's an issue of leadership ability. That is just as important as musical ability. I have encountered my fair share of leaders with the right heart and musical talent, but couldn't lead. They had no organization, no direction, no vision, no communication skills, but they can play an instrument and sing, so they are the leader.

It's been said that Martin Luther quipped, "I'd rather be ruled by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian".

As a bass player and band contributor, I'd rather be led by a secular band leader that can lead than a 'spirit filled' worship leader that has no vision, organization, or direction.

If we want to go places we haven't been, we will have to do things we haven't done.

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Mike answered well on the subject of pride; I'll tackle purity of heart.

I spent several years leading worship while nurturing my addiction to porn. I can honestly say that God's spirit moved through the music at times during those years, but God was working in spite of me, rather than through me.

The Sovereign God will accomplish His will, and if we are in the path of His will being done, He will work through or around us. That said, we don't have to read very far into the book of Acts to see God remove people who were getting in the way of His will being done.

The simple truth is that Worship Leaders and team members should be the godliest, most Christ-like people in the church. And if we struggle with any sinful habit that keeps us from being that person, we ought to step away from leadership until God has done His work of regeneration in us.

The other simple truth is that God could advance His Kingdom just fine without us; He has chosen to use sinful, frail, prideful people to do His work. That's where Grace and Mercy come in. Thank You, Jesus.
Tom

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I was at a small Worship conference this past weekend, and one of the breakout sessions was a worship “roundtable”. It was just a free for all discussion about whatever topic came up. There were about 30 worship leaders/team members there and it amazed me the number that were, as you put it, haughty, or too big for their britches as my grandma would say. All of them were from churches with over 500 members in attendance. I am not making judgments but that’s just the way it was. The fact that I don’t do hymns as part of worship, or use mediashout instead of propresenter was cause for my worship leader license to be pulled by a couple of them…thank goodness I like a good argument. And what Tom said is spot on for me as well…God will use us all, in whatever state we are in to accomplish his way. And thank God for that. He doesn’t need us, but he sure will use us. I walked away from God for 15 years, and that entire time he was grooming me for such a time as this. It is beautiful. When I look back on my life before to see how it was all a part of God’s plan. Praise His Holy Name

Comment

The other simple truth is that God could advance His Kingdom just fine without us; He has chosen to use sinful, frail, prideful people to do His work. That's where Grace and Mercy come in. Thank You, Jesus.
Tom

Well Said! I needed this today. I worry about the workers that do the work of His church each week in our building, and I needed to be reminded that GOD chose to use the "broken". Thank you for that.

Comment

The Sovereign God will accomplish His will, and if we are in the path of His will being done, He will work through or around us. That said, we don't have to read very far into the book of Acts to see God remove people who were getting in the way of His will being done.

Thank you so much, Wanna Be a Worshiper. This was very timely. I really struggle as a worship leader not to do things that kind of offend me as a worshiper. For example, "If you really loved the Lord, you would be on your feet, raising your hands, shouting, etc." I feel a lot of worship leaders give the impression that certain actions and expressions equal holiness and that they are there to get you right. Unfortunately, people feel as though they can offend and insult in the Spirit.

I was really looking for something to meditate on today and to share as I prepare to lead worship regularly next month, and I was truly blessed today. These posts really put things in perspective.